It’s no secret that the New York Yankees have to make some moves during the offseason and rumblings of potential moves have started to circulate around social media. The 27-time world champions have been linked to plenty of free agents over the past few months from Cody Bellinger to Yoshinobu Yamamoto. But, the cream of the crop that should be on every Yankees fans’ wish list is Juan Soto, the current superstar outfielder for the San Diego Padres.
For any team in baseball, they could use a player like Soto. In terms of how he would fare in New York, it has the potential to be incredible. If you were to combine his bat with Yankee Stadium’s notable short porch, the multi-time all star’s power numbers could be amplified dramatically. He would form an insane duo with franchise star Aaron Judge and immediately give this squad another talented left-handed bat that they desperately needed last season.
While his defense is certainly not the best, his offensive numbers would undoubtedly be huge for this Yankees lineup and there’s not a better option on the market for the price that Soto should garner. Currently, he’s looking at a one year, $27 million arbitration deal, so if the current Padres outfielder looks as good as advertised, he’ll need to be re-signed in a competitive free agency market as an unrestricted player.
That’s a great tie-in to what the perfect deal for Soto should be. Considering the fact that his current deal is short and his tenure in New York could potentially be as brief as a year, Brian Cashman needs to avoid giving away their most prized prospects like Jasson Domínguez in any deal for the Padres all-star. Could they afford to let go of players like Everson Pereira or Spencer Jones in a potential move for this must-get player? I certainly think so, but I think two of the major pieces that should be in a trade for Soto should be Trey Sweeney and Nestor Cortes Jr.
Sweeney specifically is only 23 years old and even though San Diego does have Xander Bogaerts at the Major League level and Jackson Merrill at the Double A level, the team could certainly use the infield depth. The California franchise could also opt to see how he looks at third base, where he’s been mentioned at potentially moving to in scouting reports.
The reality that the Padres are going to most likely be losing some major pitching depth in free agency is huge for the Yankees. They can afford to give up a player like Cortes, who is now just two seasons removed from a 2022 season that saw the right-hander pitch to a 2.44 ERA and 161 ERA+. New York already has a trio of promising pitching prospects in the minors and they can afford to package one of those, along with Cortes, in a potential move. For how things currently stand with Soto, that’s certainly fair for both parties involved.
The big thing for the Yankees in selling this trade to San Diego is the pitching. Even if the team isn’t able to win the Yamamoto sweepstakes, that should only fuel this team’s desire to acquire a player like Soto. This lineup’s hitting issues were abundantly clear without Judge or a healthy Anthony Rizzo, who ironically got hurt against the Padres last season. If they were to have neither Yamamoto or a huge outfield piece in their lineup, this squad is going to be in for a long season. Simply put, they need to strike while the iron is hot.
While this roster will certainly still have issues throughout its lineup, adding a three time all-star will certainly be a huge help in alleviating at least some of these issues. If Cashman and Co. could only add one player to the roster for the 2024 season that’s realistically available for this team, Soto should be on the top of that list.